The Son
by melissaadams22
Summary: Lucas recieves an e-mail from his mother and Kristin helps Lucas to deal with it.


Disclaimer: Don't own seaQuest or her crew… never have… never will… maybe one day… just having a bit of fun with them.  
  
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Hey all, this is the first fic I ever wrote. Hope you like it.  
  
The Son  
  
By: Melissa Adams  
  
Lucas heard the knock at the door and looked up from his computer, "Yeah."  
  
Doctor Kristin Westphalen walked in.  
  
"Hey kiddo, Nathan just called and said that he was going to be staying at headquarters for the next couple of days to attend some kind of bloody meetings with Bill. Anyhow, he said that we could stay here for the weekend before returning to the boat. Do you want to stay or go back early?"  
  
Lucas thought about that for a minute or two as Kristin stood in the doorway waiting on him to make up his mind. "If you don't mind, Doc, I would rather stay here, unless you need to get back."  
  
"Nope. That's fine with me. I am none to anxious to get back to that  
  
blasted boat either. Don't tell Nathan I said that though," she said with a smile as she left to go back to the kitchen.  
  
Lucas just laughed to himself. Normally he would have been anxious to go back to SeaQuest but he felt like taking this opportunity to get a little bit closer with the Doc. It seemed like every time he was around her the Cap or someone else was there. You've got mail. "Cool" Lucas thought as he went to his mailbox and discovered that it was from his mother, Cynthia. I wonder what she wants now he wondered to himself. He opened his mail and read it. How could she do that or say those kinds of things to me, I am her son after all Lucas thought to himself as he finished reading the mail. Some kind of mother she is, who needs her anyway. I can go without a mother, I don't need one.  
  
All of a sudden Kristin's voice broke his train of thought, "Lucas, lunch is ready. Come and eat." Just great he thought. Normally he would have been as hungry as heard of dolphins but after that email he just wanted to avoid both the Doc and Cap, before they found out and sent him to live with his dad. Maybe I could tell her I am going for a walk and can just stay gone until late, then go to bed before she asks me. He shut down his computer and walked downstairs.  
  
"There you are Lucas. I thought I was going to have to come after you or threaten to blow up that computer of yours. Come on and have some lunch."  
  
"Doc," Lucas began, "I'm not really very hungry right now. Maybe I will eat when I get back but I think I am going to go for a walk. I'll be back later," he started toward the front door but never got more than two steps before Kristin was out of her chair and was coming over to him.  
  
"Lucas, are you feeling okay?" she asked with clear concern etched on her face.  
  
Lucas thought to himself, just great that is all I need. If she starts asking me questions I am done for. "Yeah, I feel fine, I just want to get a little fresh air" he said.  
  
Kristin approached him closer and placed her hand on his forehead, "Are you sure? You feel a little warm. Maybe I should take a look at you to be sure," she stated, more as an order than a request. "You wait right here while I get my bag" she told him as she started for the bedroom.  
  
Lucas' mind was racing. I gotta get out of her for a little while; I can deal with the Doc when I get back. With that decided he walked quickly out of the house and down the front steps toward the beach. I just need some time to think of what to tell them so they won't send me away. I mean I know both the Cap and the Doc would say it doesn't matter, but if my own mother doesn't ever want anything more to do with me how can I expect anyone else to. Lucas was so lost in thought that he never even heard the thunder overhead.  
  
Back at the house Kristin had come back down to the kitchen with her bag. She noticed that Lucas wasn't where she had left him. Maybe he went into the den or the living room she thought. No, not in there, I wonder where that boy wandered off too. I swear he is almost as bad as Nathan she mused as she went back toward the kitchen and the stairs. Maybe Lucas went back to his bedroom. As she passed the front door she noticed that it was open. Surely he wouldn't have gone for that walk when he knew she wanted to look at him first, but that is what it looked like he had done. Kristin stepped out on the porch and hollered for him, but received no answer. 'Great, just great! He is out here wandering around and it looks like it is getting ready to  
  
rain. If he didn't have pneumonia before he will after he gets soaked. Bloody hell, there is nothing I can do except wait for him,' she thought to herself. But when he gets back that young man is in serious trouble. Kristin turned around and stepped back inside the house and waited on Lucas.  
  
Several hours later, Lucas approached the house. He was soaked and sneezing and coughing. It figures he said to himself, not only do I have to tell the Cap and Doc about this but also I got a cold on top of it. As he started mounting the steps to the house the door flew open.  
  
"Lucas, thank God you're all right. I have been worried sick about you. Where did you go?" Kristin practically shouted.  
  
"Hi Doc" Lucas said as he moved past her into the house.  
  
"Don't you hi doc me young man! I want to know where you wandered off too for hours," she said as she shot him one of those notorious Westphalen glares.  
  
Lucas shuffled his feet and looked at the floor, "Well I was just, ah, ah, achoo. Trying to walk of some excess energy was all."  
  
"Well we can talk about this in a minute. It sounds like you have caught a cold or worse. Go up to your room and change and then come into the living room, I want to have a look at you."  
  
"But Doc!" That's as far as he got before he noticed Kristin standing with her hands on her hips just waiting for him to try and disobey her, besides she was right he needed at least a change of clothes. He turned and headed  
  
for the stairs.  
  
As he opened the door to his bedroom, leaving wet footprints all the way down the hall he thought about what to tell Kristin. 'I know she is going to press me to see what is bothering me and I don't want to lie to her, but I don't want to tell her the truth either. All well I will just have to play it by ear,' he decided. Lucas discarded his wet clothes in a pile and put on a simple sweat suit. He picked up his wet things and headed for the bathroom to hang them up before heading down to talk to Kristin. After taking as much time as he could, safely upstairs, before she would come looking for him he headed out of the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way to dry his hair. He took slow and tedious steps toward the living room where he knew that Kristin, her little black bag of torture, and her questions waited for him.  
  
Lucas stepped into the living room and didn't see the Doc anywhere; maybe she just decided to forget it.  
  
As he started to turn to leave he heard, "Have a seat on the couch Lucas. I will be there in a minute." Lucas went over to the couch and had a seat while still trying to dry his hair as much as possible.  
  
"Ah, ah, achoo!" he sneezed.  
  
"Bless you."  
  
"Thanks," Lucas said as Kristin came over to sit next to him.  
  
"You're welcome. Now open your mouth and put this thermometer under your tongue," she said in a no nonsense tone.  
  
Lucas opened his mouth to protest but before he could say anything she stuck the thermometer in his mouth. He tried to talk and mumble around it, but Kristin gave him that Westphalen glare as she took a hold of his wrist to take his pulse. After a couple of minutes she took the thermometer out of his mouth and brought it up to read, "101.4 Well congratulations Lucas. You have managed to give yourself at least a respiratory infection. Now lift up your sweat shirt," she said as she was putting the thermometer away and getting out her stethoscope.  
  
Lucas decided it was pointless to argue with her so he just lifted up his shirt. Kristin took several minutes to listen to various parts of Lucas' chest and back and after having told him to breathe in and out and hold it several times she said he could put his shirt down. "Well you definitely gave yourself an infection by running around in this rain. Now before I give you your medicine and you go to bed, would you mind telling me what in the hell you were thinking running around like that and especially after I told you to wait?"  
  
Lucas just sat for several minutes before he thought he had enough courage to answer her. He had to admit it was stupid to go out in the rain and get himself sick, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Somehow though he doubted that was what she wanted to hear.  
  
"Well, I'm waiting. What in the world possessed you to do something like that?" Kristin asked again.  
  
Lucas looked up at her and all of a sudden he just decided to come clean and tell her everything, besides she wouldn't let up until she found out the truth anyhow. "Right before lunch I got an email from my mom. I thought maybe it was just a note to let me know how she was doing, but it wasn't" Lucas stated. He dropped his head and started wringing his hands together.  
  
Kristin just sat stunned for a minute before reaching over and putting her hand on Lucas's hands. "What did it say, sweetheart?" her voice taking on a decidedly softer tone.  
  
Lucas never looked up but continued with the story. "She said that she had a new husband and a new family. That she was moving and didn't want anything to do with me anymore or the life she had with dad and me. She said she gave up all custody rights to me to my dad and that I was not to have any further contact with her." He was in tears by the time he got done with that part of the story.  
  
Kristin's heart went out to this boy, how much more was he going to have to suffer? She slid closer to him and took him into a hug before venturing to ask the next question. "Lucas, why didn't you just tell me? Why did you run off and try to hide it?"  
  
"Because I figured that if my own mom didn't want to have anything to do with me, then you and the Captain wouldn't either," he said through sobs against Kristin's shoulder.  
  
"Oh Lucas," she said while rocking him back and forth, "both Nathan and I love having you around. Whether or not your mom is in the picture has no effect on what we think of you at all. We both love you and are so very proud of you. I'm sorry your mom feels that way, because from my point of view she is missing out on a great young man with one of the brightest futures I have ever seen." She used her hand to bring Lucas' face from her shoulder and to look at her, "And I would be proud to call you son."  
  
Lucas wrapped his arms around her and just clung to her while sobbing uncontrollably. She rocked him back and forth and hummed to him for a long time while he calmed down.  
  
Finally he looked up and said to her, "Do you think I could get something to eat? I missed lunch remember."  
  
She threw her head back and laughed while drawing him into another hug. "Sure you can, but why don't we go get you tucked in and settled before I make you some hot soup, okay?"  
  
"Oh yeah" Lucas said while bounding off the couch and heading for his bedroom. Kristin followed him, so she could get him comfortable and give him the medicine for his infection. As he climbed into bed Kristin came in and sat her bag down.  
  
"Aw, come on Doc. I don't need any medicine. A good night's sleep with do the trick," Lucas pleaded.  
  
"Yes, you are right, it will" she said as she rummaged in her bag "along with this" she exclaimed as she produced a syringe and a bottle of medicine from the confines of the bag.  
  
As she began to fill and prepare the injection she could see Lucas just rolling his eyes and trying to plead with her to just let him sleep. "Hey, this is your own fault" she told him as she approached the bed and sat down beside him.  
  
"You're the one that decided to go play in the rain and got sick. Now roll up your sleeve and relax, I'm good at this; just ask Nathan" she said with a childish look in her eyes.  
  
Lucas just rolled up his sleeve and smiled at her. Kristin gave him the injection and she watched him squirm a little, "Just relax Lucas. That medicine is going to make you sleepy. Why don't you just close your eyes and relax while I go make you some soup?" She got up and deposited the syringe in her bag.  
  
"Doc," Lucas asked sleepily, "will you stay with me a couple of minutes?"  
  
"Of course Lucas" she answered as she went and sat back down beside him on the bed. Kristin hummed to him as his eyes fell and he began to fall asleep.  
  
"Kristin." Lucas asked.  
  
"Yes, Lucas what do you need?" Kristin asked as she started to rise.  
  
"Would it be okay if I called you mom?"  
  
Her eyes filled with tears as she began to answer him, "Yes, Lucas. That would be just fine as I would be proud to call you son!"  
  
"Okay, goodnight mom" Lucas said sleepily.  
  
Kristin went over and placed a kiss on his forehead and said, "Good night son."  
  
~Fin~ 


End file.
